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Monday, 21 March 2011

Finishing Basement Walls

What is the first thing that comes to you mind when you think of finishing basement walls? Most people think that all they have to do is put up drywall and that’s it. However, in reality this is simply not the case. Several different procedures are required in order to successfully finish the walls in your basement. There are also several options available when it comes to how you want the walls in your basement to look when you’re done. The walls can be framed and dry walled or you can stain the concrete foundation to make it look more attractive. Finishing the concrete with a stain is the easiest way to finish your basement walls and is also the more affordable method. Finishing the concrete as is a great way to make your walls stand out and look original.

Framing a basement can be a long, hard and difficult task because it includes hours and hours of constructing frames using two-by-fours. Once the frames are created, they must then be safely fastened to the concrete foundation of your home. You must then hang drywall on the frames using drywall screws. If that has all been done properly and you haven’t made any mistakes, you can the plaster the screw holes and the cracks in between the pieces of drywall to create a smooth finish. Unfortunately, this is not the end of your work. You must sand the plaster down as soon as it has dried to make sure the surface of the wall is completely smooth. The plastering and sanding process should be repeated if you find any other holes or cracks in the walls. If you skip this step, your walls will look bumpy after you paint them.

Staining the concrete foundation of your home will transform them from looking boring and cold to welcoming and beautiful. The staining process is very easy and any homeowner with a bit of motivation can complete the job without a problem. Two types of stain can be used to stain concrete: acrylic and acid. Acrylic stain is the better choice if the concrete has a lot of cracks and holes because it covers over them better. Acid stain is generally the more popular choice, but it won’t work as well if the concrete is old because there has to be some lime left in the concrete for it to react with.

There are several other advantages of using acrylic stain. First of all it is available in a larger variety of colours than acid stain does. Acid stain generally comes in a few shades of reds, blues and browns. If applied properly, acrylic stain makes walls look much nicer because it acts more like a dye and helps cover up any defects the walls have.

1 comment:

If you want a more artistic effect than what simple concrete can give, you can also opt for concrete resurfacing which includes addition of a protective layer on the existing concrete to make it last longer. If the cracks do not pose any structural risks, the cracks themselves can be used as part of the design. Manuela Jelen

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About This Blog

Hey there. My name is Jeff and I work as a general contractor. My goal for this blog is to help home owners like you complete one of the tougher tasks that contractors like me are usually hired to do - framing a basement. It isn't easy, but I hope to outline the process step-by-step so you can save time and money by doing it yourself. Thanks for stopping by!